Kotter International helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. We employ the knowledge and research of Dr. John Kotter, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business School.
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5 Tips for Getting Complacent Employees Urgent

My colleague Dennis Goin is exceptional at getting stagnant organizations innovating again. Dennis has worked with organizations in that smug, apathetic position that follows continued success, and companies in the erratic, frantic state caused by the constant rise of new threats and the continual shift of focus. Here he shares tips to help leaders move their organizations from complacency or false urgency, to true urgency.

The human mind is always urgent. We’re always seeking an outlet for our mental urgency, something to believe in, something that gives us purpose. If we feel passionate about the company vision and are given permission to act on that passion, we find ourselves in a state of true urgency. On the contrary, if employees are given conflicting directions or are told they shouldn’t, mustn’t, or can’t, they become urgent about what they cannot do, and they will urgently do nothing.

Recently, I witnessed the process of building a Steinway and Sons Grand Piano – the piano many believe to be the best in the world. In entirety, the process takes almost a year. Over the last month, the piano is given four different tunings which give it its distinctive “voice.” The subtleties of each of these tunings are so precise that none of these tuners can do the others’ job.

This is a 400-year-old company with some employees who have done the same job for 25 years, yet they are engaged and truly urgent in their jobs. When asked how they remain urgent they said:

“No piano is ever built the same way twice.”

“I am always learning something new.”

“I work for an amazing company and I’m an important part of it.”

“There is no one else who can do what I do.”

Now let’s look at why false urgency begins to raise its ugly head in an organization. Once a person learns their job well, managers want to make sure that job is repeated without errors, over and over again. Some managers want employees to do that, no less and no more, checking their brains at the door. There is no outlet for the “new” to be safely explored.

When this type of environment becomes the norm, the human mind that wants to be urgent, becomes urgent about the rules of what CANNOT be done. What I mean is, in an organization like Steinway, the human mind thinks: “I can, and so I do with urgency.” In an organization like the one described directly above, the human mind thinks: “I can’t, so I’ll be urgent about NOT doing.” This takes one of two forms:

1. Complacency – This is where people do little or nothing to grow and get better, and a person’s actions rationalize why they cannot. This comes when people’s ideas have been stifled over and over, and they learn to accept that any departure from the S.O.P. is negative. You’ve heard “complacent” responses before:

“No one will let me.”

“That is not the way we do things around here.”

“Sure, they say we have to change, but no one else is changing.”

2. False Urgency – This is when people act and look busy, but in this state, there is no outlet to add value to what they are currently doing. This happens in organizations that are constantly reacting to change with the strategy-of-the-week. We’re all familiar with the responses that come from this type of frantic urgency.

“I have nothing but meetings all day long that I have to attend.”

“We’re doing the same things over and over but it’s not getting any results.”

“Is this project ever going to end?”

Complacency and false urgency can have a severely detrimental impact on everything from employee turnover to your bottom line, but moving your employees to true urgency can be fairly simple. Follow these tips and you’ll see your employees shift toward true urgency, and begin to push the organization forward. To build true urgency:

Once employees have mastered their jobs, find ways that they can bring more value to the company and to their job. Better yet, ask them for ideas on how they can do this.

If the company is going to go through change that affects the employees, involve them in the decisions that are going to be made. Ask for their input.

Treat each employee as a “master craftsman” and encourage them to educate, mentor, and coach others.

Share your big company vision with your employees – who the company is and where it is going. (Even if it is 400 years old.)

Task your managers to find new ways employees can bring value to the company. Allow this value to be surfaced, recognized, and rewarded.

The key is to tap into each employee’s “want” to be urgent. Give them a company vision they believe in and the permission to act on their passion, and even in a 400-year-old company you’ll find that people can be truly urgent.

Dennis Goin is Executive Vice President for Engagements at Kotter International. John Kotter is the chief innovation officer at Kotter International, a firm that helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. He is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus, at Harvard Business School.

***For more about how organizations can develop the agility required to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world, read my new article, “Accelerate,” featured in the November issue of Harvard Business Review.

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